Trolley-clamp



A L FRERET TROLLEY CLAMP.

APPLICATION map SEPT. 22, 1921. 1

&

- Patent ed D6013, 1921. 1.

INVENTOR ref ATTORNEY urrr. eras @FATENT ARTHUR L. runner, or nNsLEY, ALABAMA.

TROLLEY- CLAMP.

Application filed. September 22, i921. Serial lilo. 502,428.

To aZZwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR L. FRERET, a citizen of the United States, residing in Ensley, Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley- Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in clamps for suspending wires and is particularly adapted for supporting overhead electrical conductors such as trolley wires.

One object of the invention is to provice a clamp comprising fewer parts than clamps of this nature heretofore used. Another object is to provide a clamp which can be made of simple castings requiring very li tle machine work. A further object is to provide a clamp which canbe readily as sembled. I

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is an elevation showing the clamp mounted on an insulated hanger and supporting a trolley wire Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views showing two elements which comprise the clamp.

Referring to the drawings the clamp C is secured to a threaded shank 1 which projects downwardly from an insulated hanger 2 which is secured to a suitable overhead support 3. Depending from the support 3 and located adjacent to the insulator 2 are a pair of guard boards 4 forming a longitudinal housing for the several insulators and several clamps C which support the conductor or trolley wire 5. The clamp C is made up of two plates 6 and 7, the latter having a' screw threaded socket 8 formed in the top thereof in which the screw threaded shank, above referred to, is secured. The plate? is further provided with a downwardly and inwardly extending hook-like claw 9 which extends longitudinally from one end to the other of the plate 7. The lower portion of the plate is tapered downwardly and inwardly and terminates in a jaw 10 which is adapted to engage a shoulder 11 formed on the trolley wire 5, the wire preferably being of such cross-section that it will present such a shoulder. The plate 6 of the clamp is formed with a similar jaw 12 adapted to engage a similar shoulder 13 of the conductor. This plate is further provided with a hook-like claw 14 which exside face of the plate 7 so as to move one plate relatively to the other about the fulcrum formed'by the overhanging claws 9 and-l4: so as to securely'clamp the trolley wire 5 between the jaws 10 and 12.

The overhanging claws are shaped,- as shown, so that the plate 6 will not fall away.

from the plate 7 before the trolley wire is 1 clamped betweenthetwomembe-rs of the device. sliding one longitudinally .upon the other, in other words, the claws are moved into telescopic engagement with one another.

This is an important feature'of the device as it prevents one member falling vertically away frolnthe other at the time a trolley wire or conductor is being assembled orfsuspended. The laterallyextending set screw 15- permits the parts to be clamped together by a wrench, pliers or similar tool which can be moved in a vertical rather than a horizontal plane. This is an important advantage as it permits an operator to more quickly assemble the device and clamp it to the wire in the limited amount of space between the side guards 4 of the housing. Clamps of this class heretofore used have been so constructed that when the clamping pressure was removed from the wire the elements thereof were liable to be separated and fall to the ground when struck by tools or the hands of the operator. Prior clamps have also been used in which the j aw members were forced together by means of an overhead nut which necessitated moving the wrench or other tool in a horizontal plane.

In assembling overhead devices it will be appreciated that it is more difficult to operate a wrench in a horizontal plane than it is in vertical plane. Furthermore, as trolley wires suspended by this type of clamp are usually protected by a guard housing of some sort, such as illustrated, it will be apparent that it is quite difficult to manipulate a wrench or other tool in the narrow space between the side walls of such a housing. On the other hand, with the trolley clamp constructed as herein described, having a set The plates 6 and 7 are assembled by i screw extending laterally through one of the plates of the clamp, it is apparent that said' set screw can be actuated by means of a wrench or other suitable tool which can be moved in a vertical plane without interfering with the side walls of the protective trolley housing.

In conclusion it will be seen that my improved clamp is simpler in construction than those heretofore used, it comprising only two side members, one of which carries a set screw by which pressure can be exerted on the other member to rock it about the fulcrum formed by the overhanging claws. The device can be made of castings which need not be machined, the only manufacturing steps necessary being the tapping operation to form the threads in the cavity 8 and the tapping operation to form the screw threaded hole 16. 'It will be seen that the device can be manufactured very cheaply although it eifectively performs its function.

While I have described quite specifically the construction of the clamp herein shown, it is not to be interpreted that I am limited thereto as changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A conductor holder comprising a pair of plates each of said plates having longitudinally extending claws in telescopic engagement with one another arranged to form a fulcrum and also to prevent relative vertical movement of said plates in either their opment with one another arranged to form a fulcrum and also to prevent relative vertical movement of said plates in elther thelr operative or partially assembled condition and a V Y set screw extending laterally through one of said'plates and bearing on the other to rock one of them on said fulcrum to clamp the conductor.

3. The combination with a mine'trolley conductor of an insulator having a depending shank, a conductor holder comprising two plates, one of which is secured to said shank and formed with an inwardly and downwardly projecting'hook-like clawand a jaw adapted to engage the conductor, the other plate having an upwardly and outwardly extending claw arranged to co-vact with the first mentioned claw and also having a jaw adapted to engage the conductor, and a screw secured for transverse movement in the last named plate and arranged to impinge on the first named plate to cause a relative movement between them to clamp the conductor between said jaws.

in witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

ARTHUR L. F ERET, 

